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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: wax · dip · wake · mug · stand · game · net · spell

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. game — a match
  3. wax — to grow
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wake — a trail
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. spell — magic
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mug — a cup
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. spell — letters
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. net — in sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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