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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chest — a box
  4. season — of the year
  5. wax — to grow
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. swing — in golf
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. swing — music
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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