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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mark — a grade
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wax — to grow
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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