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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. file — a tool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pass — a permit
  17. staff — employees
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wind — moving air
  20. file — a line of people
  21. staff — employees
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. file — a document
  24. fan — a supporter

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