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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 120 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.

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: pop · wave · bowl · fine · scale · cold · wax · leaves

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pop — music
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wax — to grow
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fine — all right
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pop — soda
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. scale — in music
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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