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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. spell — a short time
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rest — what's left
  10. file — a tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spell — letters
  13. fall — to drop
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rest — a break
  17. wax — to grow
  18. drill — army training
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. file — a document
  22. drill — a practice
  23. spell — magic
  24. wax — for sculpting

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