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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pop — soda
  3. band — a ring
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. band — a music group
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. snap — to click
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pop — music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fall — the season
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bat — the animal

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