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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. staff — a stick
  3. fork — in a road
  4. staff — employees
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. scale — in music
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rule — a law
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rule — government
  14. present — a gift
  15. staff — employees
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. present — the time now
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. present — there
  22. wax — to grow
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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