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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 116 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. scale — in music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fine — high quality
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. kid — child
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. staff — employees
  11. wax — to grow
  12. file — a tool
  13. fine — all right
  14. file — a document
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. staff — employees
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. staff — a stick
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pound — a weight
  24. kid — to tease

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