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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: bear · tube · mouse · wave · clip · wax · cap · rule

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cap — of ice
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rule — a law
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bear — the animal
  16. clip — a video
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. tube — a container
  19. clip — to cut
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rule — government
  24. clip — for paper

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