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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. kid — to tease
  4. object — to protest
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. object — an aim
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. row — a line
  15. toast — bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pitch — completely
  18. object — a thing
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. toast — the most admired

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