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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. ball — a dance
  4. last — finally
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. lean — thin
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. last — final
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. race — humankind
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. race — a contest
  17. pound — a weight
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. last — to go on
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wax — to grow

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