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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bear — the animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mate — a friend
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. clip — a video
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. sharp — clever
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rush — hurry

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