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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pop — music
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pop — soda
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pop — to visit
  23. kid — child
  24. cue — for pool

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