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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stock — goods
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bulb — for light
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chest — of your body
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rock — music
  14. stock — shares
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. chest — a box

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