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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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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. track — a path
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. march — music
  12. file — a tool
  13. cap — a lid
  14. file — a document
  15. track — a song
  16. march — the month
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. march — the month
  21. lean — thin
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cue — a hint

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