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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 120 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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wake — a trail
  6. scale — in music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rash — a series
  10. chest — a box
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mug — a face
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rash — hasty
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wave — of the sea

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