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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lean — to bend
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. track — a path
  7. season — in sport
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. kid — to tease
  10. craft — boats
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lean — thin
  13. season — of the year
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rest — a break
  16. craft — a skill
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. track — a song
  20. rest — what's left
  21. drill — a practice
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. kid — child
  24. drill — army training

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