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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ground — crushed
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — to grow
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. staff — employees
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. craft — a skill
  11. sharp — clever
  12. swing — music
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. staff — a stick
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — to play on
  19. staff — employees
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. craft — boats
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ground — a position
  24. hide — to keep secret

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