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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. last — to go on
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mate — a friend
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mate — a partner
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stock — shares
  16. wax — to grow
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stock — goods
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. last — finally
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lean — to bend
  24. last — final

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