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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. band — a music group
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. season — in sport
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mine — for digging
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. row — a line
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. band — a ring
  22. season — of the year
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pound — to hit hard

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