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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. board — to get on
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. saw — the tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. pound — a weight
  10. content — happy
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. board — a committee
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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