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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: wave · season · spell · scale · wax · lash · rock · sharp

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. spell — letters
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rock — music
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. scale — size or range
  12. season — in sport
  13. spell — magic
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. spell — a short time
  22. scale — in music
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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