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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chair — a leader
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. can — a tin
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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