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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. bass — low music
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. club — for golf
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. club — a group
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. last — to go on
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bowl — to roll

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