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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. file — a line of people
  3. hand — help
  4. file — a tool
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. net — after costs
  7. board — to get on
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. craft — boats
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wax — to grow
  14. net — in sport
  15. fine — high quality
  16. board — a committee
  17. fine — all right
  18. file — a document
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. net — for catching
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. craft — a skill
  24. lash — an eyelash

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