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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: wake · leaves · last · swing · roll · wave · fan · wax

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wax — to grow
  9. roll — a list
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. last — to go on
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. roll — a cake
  21. last — final
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. last — finally
  24. leaves — to go away

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