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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wax — to grow
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. charge — in control
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. charge — a price
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wound — an injury
  18. club — a group
  19. season — in sport
  20. sharp — clever
  21. season — of the year
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. club — for golf
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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