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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. game — a match
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fall — the season
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stock — shares
  19. band — a music group
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wax — to grow
  24. nail — for a hammer

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