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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 120 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. present — a gift
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. present — there
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lean — thin
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. present — the time now
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. suit — in cards
  24. suit — to fit

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