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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.

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: squash · wave · mate · season · march · current · mug · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. season — of the year
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. squash — the sport
  6. season — in sport
  7. march — music
  8. current — happening now
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. wax — to grow
  13. march — the month
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mug — to rob
  21. squash — to crush
  22. march — the month
  23. mug — a face
  24. wave — of the sea

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