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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. band — a ring
  5. march — the month
  6. band — a music group
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pass — a permit
  14. march — the month
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bulb — for light
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. march — music
  24. band — a rubber band

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