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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mate — to breed
  9. court — of law
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. court — for sport
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. tube — the underground
  16. degree — an amount
  17. tube — a container
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. court — of a king
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mate — a partner

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