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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fine — all right
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bass — low music
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bass — the fish
  24. prune — to trim

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