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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. dip — to sink
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. chip — for betting
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stand — to bear
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wax — to grow

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