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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. craft — boats
  3. fine — all right
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wax — to grow
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bark — to shout
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fall — the season
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. hand — help
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — letters
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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