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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: game · snap · wave · roll · rest · ball · wax · key

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rest — what's left
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. snap — to click
  7. rest — what's left
  8. key — in music
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. key — for a lock
  13. game — a match
  14. roll — a list
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rest — a break
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wax — to grow
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. key — the most important part

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