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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wax — to grow
  4. last — final
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lean — thin
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rock — a stone
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rock — music
  18. last — to go on
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lean — to bend
  23. last — finally
  24. pitch — completely

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