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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. roll — a list
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bound — obliged
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bound — certain
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. roll — a cake
  20. mug — a face
  21. fine — high quality
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. capital — money
  24. jam — a tight spot

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