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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. last — finally
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. foot — a measure
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. lean — to bend
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. lean — thin
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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