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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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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 · pound · bear · cell · race · land · wind · wax

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wind — moving air
  3. race — the arms race
  4. land — to come down
  5. race — a contest
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. race — humankind
  12. land — ground
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. land — a country
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. cell — in biology

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