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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. land — ground
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ball — a dance
  7. club — for golf
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. craft — boats
  11. land — a country
  12. club — a group
  13. suit — to fit
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. rash — a series
  16. suit — clothes
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wax — to grow
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. land — to come down
  23. ball — a great time
  24. club — for dancing

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