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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. field — farmland
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. swing — to play on
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. field — for sport
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. field — a subject
  15. rash — a series
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. swing — music

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