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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cue — for pool
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cue — a hint
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cue — a signal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com