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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pass — a permit
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pound — a weight
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rest — a break
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. swing — music

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