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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 116 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 I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cue — a signal
  3. present — a gift
  4. shower — rain
  5. march — the month
  6. wind — moving air
  7. march — the month
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. march — music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. present — there
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. present — the time now
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wax — to grow

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