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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. last — final
  9. pitch — completely
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. last — to go on
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. row — a line
  23. last — finally
  24. row — a quarrel

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