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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · wave · chest · wax · spring · hide · last · pound

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. last — to go on
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. spring — the season
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pound — a weight
  22. mark — a grade
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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