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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rash — a series
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rash — hasty
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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