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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. current — electric
  7. game — wild animals
  8. current — of water
  9. season — of the year
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. game — a match
  13. snap — to click
  14. current — happening now
  15. wax — to grow
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. season — in sport
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. band — a music group

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