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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. tear — from crying
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — the season
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wax — to grow
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bore — to tire
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. scale — in music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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