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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rush — hurry
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. key — the most important part
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. key — in music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. roll — a list
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bound — certain

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