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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. file — a line of people
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bound — obliged
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. firm — decided
  8. file — a tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spring — of water
  13. ground — crushed
  14. file — a document
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bound — certain
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bound — tied together
  19. firm — a company
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. firm — steady
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ground — a position

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