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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
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: wax · fine · ground · clip · fall · rule · wave · pop

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. clip — for paper
  5. ground — a position
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rule — a law
  9. pop — soda
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. pop — music
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rule — government
  24. clip — a video

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