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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bound — obliged
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. scale — size or range
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wax — to grow
  10. snap — to click
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bound — tied together
  19. scale — in music
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bound — certain
  23. row — a line
  24. lean — thin

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