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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. rush — to hurry
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bass — low music
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rush — hurry
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bass — the fish
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stem — of a plant
  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