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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. file — a document
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cold — an illness
  6. file — a tool
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cold — not warm
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wax — to grow
  23. swing — music
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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