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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. suit — in cards
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mark — a grade
  9. board — a committee
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. board — to get on
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. suit — clothes
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mark — a trace
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. fan — a supporter

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