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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: cold · pitcher · wax · deal · perch · wave · tube · mark

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. tube — the underground
  7. deal — to handle
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cold — an illness
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cold — not warm
  17. tube — a container
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pitcher — a jug

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