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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mug — a face
  6. march — the month
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. march — music
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. march — the month
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pop — music

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