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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lie — to recline
  5. last — finally
  6. shower — rain
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. last — final
  13. chest — of your body
  14. last — to go on
  15. date — the fruit
  16. chest — a box
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lie — an untruth
  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