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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. shower — rain
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pop — to visit
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. court — of a king
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. court — for sport
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. mine — for digging
  18. court — of law
  19. pop — music
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pop — soda
  24. nail — on a finger

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