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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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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. clip — a video
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. clip — to cut
  8. drill — a practice
  9. season — of the year
  10. squash — the sport
  11. chip — to eat
  12. clip — for paper
  13. season — in sport
  14. drill — army training
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. board — a committee
  18. squash — to crush
  19. drill — the tool
  20. chip — for betting
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wax — to grow
  24. board — to get on

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