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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cold — an illness
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. clip — a video
  16. can — a tin
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. can — a tin
  20. cold — not warm
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. clip — for paper

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