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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. net — in sport
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. net — after costs
  9. cap — a hat
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. kick — in football
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. net — for catching
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. foot — a measure
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. cap — of ice
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. cap — a lid

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