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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.

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 · hide · pitcher · wake · wax · wave · rest · bat

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wake — a trail
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hand — help
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rest — a break

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