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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. craft — a skill
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. ground — a position
  7. craft — boats
  8. firm — a company
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wax — to grow
  13. toast — bread
  14. firm — steady
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — an illness
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. firm — decided

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