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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rest — what's left
  6. object — an aim
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kid — child
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rest — a break
  17. object — a thing
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. plane — a tool
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. kid — to tease
  24. object — to protest

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