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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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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: cold · wave · leaves · deal · wind · pitch · wax · bore

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wind — moving air
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wax — to grow
  23. deal — an agreement
  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