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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. charge — in control
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — for sport
  6. charge — a price
  7. dip — to sink
  8. field — farmland
  9. charge — electricity
  10. field — a subject
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bear — the animal

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