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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. net — after costs
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. net — in sport
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. ground — crushed
  15. net — for catching
  16. ground — the earth
  17. toast — bread
  18. ground — a position
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. snap — to click
  24. roll — a cake

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