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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. root — of a word
  4. ball — a great time
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — a company
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chest — of your body
  10. plane — a tool
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. chest — of your body
  14. club — a group
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ball — a dance
  19. club — for dancing
  20. chest — a box
  21. root — the cause
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. club — for golf
  24. root — of a plant

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