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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 116 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: press · game · mate · key · hand · wave · bay · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. mate — a partner
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. key — for a lock
  9. game — a match
  10. key — the most important part
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mate — a friend
  13. press — to push
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. press — a publisher
  19. hand — help
  20. wax — to grow
  21. key — in music
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. game — wild animals

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