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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 120 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. staff — a stick
  3. content — the amount
  4. rest — a break
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. object — an aim
  7. staff — employees
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. rest — what's left
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. object — to protest
  12. vault — a safe
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. season — in sport
  15. rest — what's left
  16. staff — employees
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. object — a thing
  19. season — of the year
  20. content — happy
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. foot — a measure
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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