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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: court · kick · wax · rash · mug · wave · cold · bass

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bass — low music
  5. rash — a series
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bass — the fish
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mug — to rob
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cold — an illness
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. court — for sport
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. kick — in football
  24. wax — to grow

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