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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 120 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: wax · saw · hide · swing · wave · content · clip · bat

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. content — the amount
  6. clip — a video
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. swing — in golf
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. content — happy
  17. saw — the tool
  18. swing — music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bat — the animal
  24. saw — the tool

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