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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. roll — a list
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. tear — to rip
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. hand — help
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. roll — a cake
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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