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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: wave · game · march · bore · pass · wax · wake · hand

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. march — the month
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wax — to grow
  11. game — wild animals
  12. hand — help
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. march — the month
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. game — a match

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