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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mine — for digging
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fork — in a road
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pitch — completely
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. lean — thin
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pitch — a sports field

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