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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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. march — the month
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. tube — a container
  7. content — the amount
  8. mate — a friend
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wound — an injury
  11. march — the month
  12. mate — to breed
  13. key — in music
  14. wax — to grow
  15. march — music
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. rule — a law
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rule — government
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wax — for sculpting

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