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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. lean — thin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bore — to drill
  14. net — after costs
  15. ball — a great time
  16. net — for catching
  17. plane — a tool
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wax — to grow
  20. net — in sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bore — to tire
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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