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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fall — the season
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fall — to drop
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. current — electric
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mug — a cup
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cell — a phone
  12. current — happening now
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mug — a face
  19. current — of water
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. cell — in biology
  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