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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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ball — a dance
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. current — of water
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. season — of the year
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wax — to grow
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. toast — bread
  16. current — happening now
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. season — in sport
  19. current — electric
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. ball — a round shape

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