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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wax — to grow
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wake — a trail
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. march — the month
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. march — music
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. squash — the sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. march — the month
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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