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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wind — moving air
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wax — to grow
  22. squash — the sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. chair — a professorship

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