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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mate — a partner
  5. kid — child
  6. mate — a friend
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. court — for sport
  10. mate — to breed
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bound — certain
  14. court — of law
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. court — of a king
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bound — obliged
  24. face — to confront

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