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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. scale — in music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wax — to grow
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rock — music
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. scale — size or range
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bat — the animal

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