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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rash — a series
  4. craft — boats
  5. fall — the season
  6. rash — hasty
  7. craft — a skill
  8. tear — to rip
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wax — to grow
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. straw — a straw man

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