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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. suit — in cards
  3. drill — the tool
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rash — hasty
  6. suit — clothes
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. drill — a practice
  13. present — the time now
  14. craft — a skill
  15. content — the amount
  16. present — there
  17. content — happy
  18. season — of the year
  19. suit — to fit
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rash — a series
  22. present — a gift
  23. craft — boats
  24. drill — army training

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