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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wound — an injury
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. club — for golf
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. vault — a safe
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mark — a trace
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stem — to come from
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. content — the amount
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. club — a group
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. club — for dancing
  24. content — happy

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