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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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468
Word bank
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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chair — a leader
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. season — in sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cue — a signal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cue — a hint
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. season — of the year
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wound — an injury

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