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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bass — low music
  9. wax — to grow
  10. staff — employees
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bass — the fish
  17. hand — in cards
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. fan — a supporter

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