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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pop — to visit
  4. game — a match
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. game — wild animals
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. can — a tin
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pop — music
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. scale — in music
  20. can — to be able to
  21. scale — size or range
  22. can — a tin
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bowl — a dish

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