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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rock — a stone
  4. band — a ring
  5. staff — employees
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wax — to grow
  10. staff — employees
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. staff — a stick
  13. band — a music group
  14. field — for sport
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. field — farmland
  17. bass — low music
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rock — music
  22. shower — rain
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. field — a subject

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