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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. land — ground
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. land — a country
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wound — an injury
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. land — to come down
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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