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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. march — music
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wind — moving air
  8. net — after costs
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. band — a ring
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pass — a permit
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. suit — to fit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wax — to grow
  22. suit — in cards
  23. march — the month
  24. band — a music group

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