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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. foot — a measure
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wax — to grow
  12. board — to get on
  13. field — for sport
  14. pitch — completely
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rush — a thrill

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