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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · wax · spring · wind · wave · cabinet · dip · pitcher

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hand — help
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — of water
  24. dip — to dunk

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