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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bear — the animal
  6. band — a ring
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. saw — the tool
  15. band — a music group
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. present — there
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. saw — the tool

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