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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 124 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. scale — size or range
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cue — for pool
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pop — music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kid — child
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pop — soda
  22. scale — in music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cue — a signal

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