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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. drill — the tool
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wax — to grow
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. drill — a practice
  15. tube — the underground
  16. squash — to crush
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tube — a container
  19. drill — army training
  20. squash — the sport
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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