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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. row — a line
  3. net — in sport
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rock — a stone
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wax — to grow
  9. net — for catching
  10. rock — music
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. net — after costs
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. roll — a list
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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