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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pitch — completely
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — final
  5. band — a music group
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. band — a ring
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. last — to go on
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wax — in the ear

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