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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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. current — electric
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. current — happening now
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chip — to eat
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. hand — help
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chip — for betting
  18. hand — in cards
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. plane — a tool
  24. current — of water

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