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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. swing — music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mark — a grade
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. land — ground
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mark — a trace
  17. snap — to click
  18. march — the month
  19. swing — in golf
  20. land — a country
  21. march — music
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. land — to come down

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