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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — a break
  10. ground — a position
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wax — to grow
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cold — not warm
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bowl — to roll

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