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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — of water
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cue — a signal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cue — for pool
  22. spring — the season
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pitcher — a jug

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