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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rest — a break
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ball — a great time
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. club — for golf
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rest — what's left
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. key — for a lock
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. club — a group
  21. key — the most important part
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kick — in football
  24. key — in music

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