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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 116 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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. tube — the underground
  3. capital — a city
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bound — certain
  8. tube — a container
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wind — moving air
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. capital — money
  24. mark — to pay attention

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