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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fine — all right
  4. kid — child
  5. craft — boats
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wax — to grow
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. swing — music
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fine — high quality
  18. hand — help
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lash — to lash out
  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