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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mark — a grade
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fall — the season
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. fall — to drop
  15. drill — army training
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fall — to drop

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