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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wake — a trail
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. swing — music
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. swing — in golf
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fine — all right
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. swing — to play on
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wax — to grow

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