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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. hand — help
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. saw — the tool
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pound — a weight
  16. hand — in cards
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. branch — a division
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — 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