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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. march — the month
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. kick — in football
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. deal — to handle
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. spring — a coil
  12. capital — a city
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. spring — the season
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — of water
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. march — music
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. capital — money
  24. row — to paddle

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