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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. saw — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lean — thin
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. net — for catching
  13. lean — to bend
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. net — in sport
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. clip — to cut
  23. net — after costs
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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