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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. firm — a company
  3. last — final
  4. charge — electricity
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cue — a signal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. firm — steady
  12. land — ground
  13. cue — for pool
  14. firm — decided
  15. last — finally
  16. stock — shares
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. shower — rain
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. cue — a hint
  24. last — to go on

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