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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rest — what's left
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mark — a grade
  6. kid — child
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spell — a short time
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mark — a trace
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rest — a break
  13. spell — letters
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — magic
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. ground — the earth
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. kid — to tease
  24. deal — a big deal

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