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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. shower — rain
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bound — obliged
  12. file — a document
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bear — the animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bound — tied together
  21. shower — to wash
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pitch — completely
  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