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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mark — a grade
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. present — the time now
  10. wind — moving air
  11. present — there
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. band — a ring
  19. present — a gift
  20. season — in sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — a trace
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — of the year

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