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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fall — to drop
  4. object — to protest
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. object — a thing
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. object — an aim
  22. fall — the season
  23. track — a path
  24. wax — to grow

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