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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rest — what's left
  5. club — for golf
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. club — a group
  9. kid — to tease
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rock — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rest — a break
  17. band — a ring
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. band — a music group
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rest — what's left
  24. kid — child

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