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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 120 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bark — to shout
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. chair — a leader
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rush — hurry
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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