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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 124 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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. drill — the tool
  4. mark — a trace
  5. net — for catching
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — to bear
  11. object — to protest
  12. net — after costs
  13. drill — army training
  14. wax — to grow
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. net — in sport
  19. drill — a practice
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. row — to paddle

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