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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mate — to breed
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pound — a weight
  14. stem — to come from
  15. deal — to handle
  16. ball — a great time
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stem — a stem cell

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