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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 116 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. chip — for betting
  3. net — after costs
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rest — what's left
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pop — soda
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rest — what's left
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wake — a trail
  20. net — for catching
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pop — music
  23. rest — a break
  24. net — in sport

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