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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. firm — steady
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — a company
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. present — a gift
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. rash — a series
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. present — there
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. present — the time now
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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