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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 water is too ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cold — not warm
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. track — a path
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cold — an illness
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hand — help
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cue — a signal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. track — a song

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