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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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. row — to paddle
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pound — a weight
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mark — a trace
  10. chest — of your body
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. chest — a box
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. row — a line
  24. pound — for dogs

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