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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bore — to drill
  5. roll — a list
  6. craft — boats
  7. bore — to tire
  8. degree — an amount
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. date — the fruit
  12. roll — a cake
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. march — music
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. spell — magic
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. degree — from a university
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. craft — a skill
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wax — to grow
  24. degree — temperature

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