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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. net — for catching
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. net — in sport
  5. track — a song
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. land — a country
  8. spell — letters
  9. net — after costs
  10. track — a path
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. spell — magic
  15. track — to keep track
  16. lean — to bend
  17. charge — a price
  18. wax — to grow
  19. charge — in control
  20. spell — a short time
  21. charge — electricity
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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