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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 ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bank — for money
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wax — to grow
  10. drill — army training
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bank — for money
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. drill — the tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cell — in biology
  19. drill — a practice
  20. hand — help
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — a phone
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bank — of a river

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