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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 120 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. swing — music
  8. stem — to come from
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. wax — in the ear

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