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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. band — a music group
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mark — a grade
  9. file — a document
  10. present — a gift
  11. band — a ring
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. file — a tool

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