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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. can — to be able to
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. can — a tin
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pop — music
  9. rule — a law
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. content — happy
  12. pop — to visit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pop — soda
  18. content — the amount
  19. can — a tin
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. chest — a box
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rule — government

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