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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. can — to be able to
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. face — to point toward
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. content — the amount
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wax — to grow
  17. content — happy
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. face — to confront

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