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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. swing — music
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. clip — for paper
  11. saw — the tool
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wave — of the sea

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