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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 116 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bound — tied together
  5. present — a gift
  6. ground — a position
  7. present — the time now
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ground — crushed
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. present — there
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bound — certain
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. dip — to dunk

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