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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. club — a group
  3. capital — money
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. club — for dancing
  7. capital — a city
  8. club — for golf
  9. pass — a permit
  10. wax — to grow
  11. press — newspapers
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. press — a publisher
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. kid — child
  22. suit — to fit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. press — to push

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