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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. court — of law
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. scale — in music
  12. court — for sport
  13. pound — a weight
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wax — to grow
  17. degree — an amount
  18. court — of a king
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. toast — bread

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