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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. object — a thing
  5. spring — a coil
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rest — what's left
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. dip — to sink
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rest — a break
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. current — of water
  16. spring — of water
  17. object — an aim
  18. spring — the season
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chair — a leader
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. wax — to grow
  24. object — to protest

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