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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. row — a line
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wax — to grow
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. game — a match
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. game — wild animals
  12. last — to go on
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bulb — for light
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fall — the season
  19. suit — clothes
  20. last — finally
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. row — to paddle
  23. last — final
  24. straw — a straw man

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