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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. can — to be able to
  3. land — to come down
  4. ball — a great time
  5. court — for sport
  6. ground — a position
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. ground — crushed
  12. court — of law
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ground — the earth
  19. land — ground
  20. wax — to grow
  21. current — of water
  22. court — of a king
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. land — a country

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