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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bank — of a river
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bank — for money
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bank — for money
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. lie — an untruth

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