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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. key — in music
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. present — a gift
  12. root — of a word
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. root — of a plant
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. root — the cause
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mine — for digging
  24. key — the most important part

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