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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bound — tied together
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. capital — money
  8. wax — to grow
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bound — certain
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. staff — a stick
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bound — obliged
  19. capital — a city
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. staff — employees
  24. bass — the instrument

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