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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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. deal — an agreement
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wax — to grow
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. face — to confront
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. season — of the year
  13. deal — to handle
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. season — in sport
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. face — to point toward
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mouse — for a computer

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