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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. spring — the season
  3. club — a group
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rule — government
  8. club — for golf
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. rule — a law
  14. bore — to drill
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. club — for dancing
  17. spring — of water
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. lean — thin

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