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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. field — for sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mate — a friend
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mate — a partner
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mark — a grade
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mark — a trace
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. field — a subject
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. field — farmland

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