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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pit — in a race
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fall — to drop
  10. race — humankind
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. race — a contest
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wax — to grow
  23. fall — the season
  24. tube — the underground

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