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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. tube — the underground
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. spell — letters
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bark — to shout
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tube — a container
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bark — of a tree

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