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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. degree — an amount
  5. clip — for paper
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. clip — to cut
  11. degree — from a university
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. craft — boats
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bat — the animal
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. clip — a video
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rush — to hurry

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