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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. scale — in music
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. swing — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. pop — to visit
  15. swing — in golf
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pop — music
  18. foot — a measure
  19. ground — a position
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ground — crushed
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. ground — the earth
  24. swing — to play on

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