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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rule — a law
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. clip — a video
  6. band — a music group
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bore — to tire
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wax — to grow
  15. band — a ring
  16. cue — for pool
  17. rule — government
  18. face — to confront
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rash — a series
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. face — to point toward

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