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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
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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 · leaves · pop · tear · mate · present · wax · spring

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. present — the time now
  3. wax — to grow
  4. spring — a coil
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pop — soda
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. pop — to visit
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mate — to breed
  20. present — there
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pop — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. present — a gift

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