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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. deal — to handle
  10. charge — electricity
  11. wound — an injury
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wound — an injury
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. roll — a cake
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. charge — in control
  19. roll — a list
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. charge — a price
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. arm — a part of something

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