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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. band — a music group
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. kick — in football
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. band — a ring
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pop — soda
  16. wax — to grow
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pop — music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pop — to visit

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