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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.

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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. foot — a measure
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cap — a lid
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cap — a hat
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. staff — employees
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wax — to grow
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. shower — rain
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. staff — employees

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