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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: wind · pit · wax · game · pop · wave · dip · rest

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rest — what's left
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rest — a break
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pop — music
  17. game — a match
  18. pop — to visit
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — soda
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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