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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. fine — all right
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. net — for catching
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. dip — to sink
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bore — to tire
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fine — high quality
  21. net — after costs
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. net — in sport

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