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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · lie · swing · stick · drill · wax · court · object

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. drill — the tool
  5. swing — in golf
  6. object — an aim
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. object — a thing
  9. lie — to recline
  10. swing — to play on
  11. court — for sport
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. drill — army training
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wax — to grow
  18. court — of a king
  19. swing — music
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. court — of law
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. drill — a practice
  24. object — to protest

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