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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bulb — for light
  8. present — a gift
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. rest — what's left
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rest — a break
  17. branch — a division
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. perch — the fish
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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