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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. vault — a safe
  10. wound — an injury
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pit — in a race
  19. land — a country
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pass — a permit
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. pit — a hole

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