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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. present — there
  9. march — the month
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. march — the month
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — magic
  16. stand — to bear
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. present — a gift
  20. march — music
  21. present — the time now
  22. lie — to recline
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. spell — letters

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