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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mate — to breed
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. land — ground
  5. shower — rain
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lean — to bend
  8. land — to come down
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. swing — music
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. swing — to play on
  16. lean — thin
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. land — a country
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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