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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. spell — letters
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. spell — a short time
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fine — high quality
  14. spell — magic
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fine — all right
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wave — with your hand

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