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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. spell — magic
  8. deal — to handle
  9. object — an aim
  10. roll — a list
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. object — a thing
  13. chest — of your body
  14. roll — a cake
  15. chest — a box
  16. lean — thin
  17. object — to protest
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spell — a short time
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lean — to bend
  24. temple — side of the head

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