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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wax — in the ear

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