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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tube — a container
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fine — all right
  20. hand — help
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. hand — part of the body

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