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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chest — a box
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pit — in a race
  13. row — a line
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fine — all right

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