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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. degree — an amount
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lie — to recline
  8. tear — from crying
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. club — for golf
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. tear — to rip
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. club — a group

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