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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rule — a law
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bass — low music
  16. chest — a box
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. snap — to click
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. wax — to grow
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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