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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. date — the fruit
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kick — in football
  10. wax — to grow
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. tear — from crying
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. tear — to rip
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ruler — a monarch

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