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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. face — part of the head
  3. current — of water
  4. face — to confront
  5. current — happening now
  6. net — after costs
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. face — to point toward
  11. squash — the sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rest — what's left
  17. squash — to crush
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. current — electric
  24. squash — the vegetable

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