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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pass — a permit
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. shower — to wash
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chest — a box
  14. bat — the animal
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. staff — employees
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. staff — employees
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wave — with your hand

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