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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. face — to confront
  3. field — for sport
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. content — happy
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wax — to grow
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fine — high quality
  15. face — to point toward
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. field — a subject
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. field — farmland
  24. content — the amount

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