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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cell — in biology
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. charge — a price
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wax — to grow
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. charge — electricity
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. board — a committee
  16. charge — in control
  17. board — to get on
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — all right
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. board — a flat piece

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