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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kid — child
  4. wax — to grow
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. lean — thin
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mate — a friend
  19. kid — to tease
  20. stock — shares
  21. lean — to bend
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. net — after costs
  24. trunk — of a car

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