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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wax — to grow
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chest — a box
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. season — of the year
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. toast — bread
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitch — completely
  23. season — in sport
  24. chest — of your body

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