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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mark — a trace
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pass — a permit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pop — music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pop — soda
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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