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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 · bay · wax · key · wound · wave · saw · clip

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. key — for a lock
  4. clip — to cut
  5. key — in music
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mark — a grade
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mark — a trace
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wound — an injury

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