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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. march — music
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ball — a great time
  7. file — a tool
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. file — a line of people
  11. march — the month
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ball — a dance
  16. file — a document
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bear — the animal
  24. march — the month

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