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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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. club — a group
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. current — happening now
  7. charge — a price
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pop — to visit
  10. land — to come down
  11. current — of water
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a great time
  14. degree — an amount
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. pop — soda
  18. land — ground
  19. current — electric
  20. land — a country
  21. pop — music
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ball — a dance

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