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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. field — farmland
  8. rush — hurry
  9. club — for golf
  10. season — of the year
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wax — to grow
  13. club — a group
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. field — a subject
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. season — in sport
  24. field — for sport

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