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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. object — to protest
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. snap — to click
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mine — for digging
  16. object — a thing
  17. wax — to grow
  18. object — an aim
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pass — a permit
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pitcher — a jug

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