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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. net — in sport
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. hand — help
  6. fine — high quality
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fine — all right
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. tear — to rip
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wax — to grow
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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