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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.

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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: drill · pass · tube · wax · wind · mate · wave · bat

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. drill — a practice
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. tube — a container
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mate — a partner
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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