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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. ball — a great time
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chair — a leader
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. band — a ring
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. band — a music group
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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