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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: bass · pass · pit · wax · wave · net · wind · drill

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. net — in sport
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. net — after costs
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pass — a permit
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. drill — army training
  20. bass — low music
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. net — for catching
  23. pit — a hole
  24. drill — a practice

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