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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 124 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. current — of water
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. squash — the sport
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wax — to grow
  10. saw — the tool
  11. current — electric
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. ball — a great time
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. plane — a tool
  17. chair — a leader
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ball — a dance
  22. current — happening now
  23. wake — a trail
  24. squash — to crush

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