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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cell — a phone
  22. ground — a position
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mark — a trace

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