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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. current — of water
  3. object — a thing
  4. wax — to grow
  5. march — the month
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. object — an aim
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. march — the month
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. season — of the year
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. firm — steady
  15. row — to paddle
  16. object — to protest
  17. firm — decided
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. current — happening now
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. firm — a company
  22. march — music
  23. current — electric
  24. season — in sport

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