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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — clever
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. charge — a price
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. charge — in control
  12. date — the fruit
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rule — a law
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rule — government
  24. wax — for sculpting

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