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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: mate · present · pitch · wake · wax · deal · game · wave

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. present — there
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mate — to breed
  8. game — a match
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mate — a partner
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. present — a gift
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. present — the time now
  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