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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. present — there
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. present — a gift
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. root — of a word
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — an aim
  15. wax — to grow
  16. root — of a plant
  17. object — to protest
  18. wound — an injury
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. present — the time now
  24. root — the cause

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