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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.

Make a worksheet

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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. chest — of your body
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. race — the arms race
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. race — a contest
  8. lie — to recline
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chest — a box
  15. race — humankind
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar

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