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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. board — a committee
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. chest — a box
  10. kid — child
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spell — letters
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spell — magic
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. spell — a short time
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lie — to recline

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