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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: deal · date · pit · wax · wave · current · tear · ground

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. current — happening now
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pit — in a race
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ground — crushed
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. ground — a position
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ground — the earth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. current — of water
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. current — electric
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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