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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 116 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: wax · march · staff · cap · spell · game · wave · rush

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. staff — employees
  4. cap — a lid
  5. march — the month
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. spell — magic
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. game — wild animals
  16. spell — letters
  17. game — a match
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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