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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. current — happening now
  3. bound — obliged
  4. present — the time now
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cap — of ice
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. present — there
  12. bound — certain
  13. tube — a container
  14. present — a gift
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. current — electric
  18. cap — a hat
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wax — to grow
  22. current — of water
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. tube — the underground

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