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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ground — a position
  6. club — a group
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. perch — the fish
  9. ground — the earth
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wax — to grow
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. club — for golf
  19. tube — a container
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. club — for dancing
  24. tube — in a tire

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