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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. capital — a city
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. face — to confront
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. track — a path
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stem — to come from
  21. track — a song
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bay — a horse colour

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