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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. net — after costs
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. content — the amount
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. clip — for paper
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wax — to grow
  17. net — for catching
  18. clip — to cut
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. shower — to wash
  21. content — happy
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. net — in sport
  24. clip — a video

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