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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. craft — a skill
  3. face — to point toward
  4. craft — boats
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wax — to grow
  10. face — part of the head
  11. snap — to click
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. spell — letters
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — the season
  18. spell — magic
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. face — to confront
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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