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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. key — in music
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. key — for a lock
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. cue — a hint
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. press — newspapers
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cue — a signal
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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