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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. game — a match
  6. bass — low music
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bass — the fish
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spell — magic
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tear — to rip
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mug — a face
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. charge — a price
  18. mug — to rob
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mug — a cup
  24. charge — in control

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