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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. ground — the earth
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. current — happening now
  14. wound — an injury
  15. swing — in golf
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. current — of water
  19. ground — a position
  20. swing — music
  21. kick — in football
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. current — electric
  24. cap — a hat

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