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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cap — a hat
  4. land — a country
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. scale — size or range
  7. rock — a stone
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. drill — a practice
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. scale — in music
  14. cap — of ice
  15. chip — for betting
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. drill — army training
  19. land — to come down
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wax — to grow
  22. drill — the tool
  23. land — ground
  24. cap — a lid

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