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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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. chair — a leader
  4. mate — a friend
  5. charge — in control
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bulb — for light
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. charge — a price
  17. bulb — for light
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mate — to breed
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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