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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. field — for sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. field — a subject
  9. dip — to sink
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wax — to grow
  13. charge — a price
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. game — a match
  16. field — farmland
  17. charge — in control
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — wild animals
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. can — a tin
  24. bowl — a dish

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