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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rock — music
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rock — a stone
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cap — a hat
  10. land — to come down
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hand — help
  18. land — a country
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. land — ground
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cap — of ice

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