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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 124 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.

Make a worksheet

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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fork — in a road
  5. land — ground
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. land — a country
  10. roll — a list
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. roll — a cake
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. date — the fruit
  18. land — to come down
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. staff — a stick
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. staff — employees
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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