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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wax — to grow
  6. craft — boats
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. last — to go on
  9. snap — to click
  10. rock — a stone
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. last — finally

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