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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
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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 · stand · game · foot · last · bark · mate · wave

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. foot — a measure
  3. stand — to bear
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. game — a match
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. last — final
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mate — a friend

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