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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. field — farmland
  7. pop — music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. spell — a short time
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pop — soda
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. spell — magic
  19. field — a subject
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pop — to visit
  22. spell — letters
  23. straw — a straw man
  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