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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 116 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. tear — from crying
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. firm — a company
  8. field — a subject
  9. staff — employees
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — farmland
  13. firm — decided
  14. staff — employees
  15. firm — steady
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tear — from crying
  19. plane — a tool
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. tear — to rip
  23. field — for sport
  24. plane — an aircraft

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