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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pop — soda
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. deal — to handle
  6. last — final
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. spring — the season
  9. pop — music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. last — to go on
  12. bank — of a river
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. last — finally
  15. wax — to grow
  16. perch — the fish
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bank — for money
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bank — for money
  24. wax — for sculpting

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