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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wind — moving air
  4. file — a document
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. file — a tool
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wind — moving air
  15. file — a line of people
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. lie — to recline

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