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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. club — for golf
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fall — the season
  8. content — happy
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lean — to bend
  12. craft — a skill
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. club — a group
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. craft — boats
  19. content — the amount
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. lean — thin
  24. content — videos and posts

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