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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 · sharp · wave · cell · nail · band · mug · deal

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. band — a music group
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. mug — a face
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. deal — to handle
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. band — a ring
  23. cell — a phone
  24. deal — a big deal

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