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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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. pass — to spend time
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. band — a music group
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. mine — for digging
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pass — a permit
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. band — a ring
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. wind — moving air

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