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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. track — to keep track
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mine — for digging
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bound — tied together
  15. track — a path
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. track — a song
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rash — hasty
  22. scale — in music
  23. bound — certain
  24. rash — a series

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