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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. swing — music
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. swing — in golf
  6. land — a country
  7. face — to confront
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. face — part of the head
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. hand — help
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. wax — to grow
  17. object — a thing
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. hand — in cards
  21. face — to point toward
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. leaves — of a tree

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