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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. season — to add flavour
  3. current — electric
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. current — of water
  7. spell — letters
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fork — in a road
  15. spell — magic
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. current — happening now
  18. season — of the year
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. season — in sport
  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