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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wax — to grow
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bowl — a football final

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