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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bank — for money
  7. mate — a partner
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rest — what's left
  15. track — a song
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rest — a break
  18. stand — to bear
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. track — a path
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mate — to breed

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