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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. coach — a trainer
  3. shower — rain
  4. board — a committee
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. toast — bread
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wax — to grow
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. scale — size or range
  14. march — music
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. board — to get on
  21. shower — to wash
  22. scale — in music
  23. prune — to trim
  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