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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. season — in sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wound — an injury

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