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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. key — in music
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mark — a grade
  15. file — a tool
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. key — for a lock
  19. file — a document
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. current — electric
  22. file — a line of people
  23. fine — all right
  24. wax — to grow

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