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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rock — music
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. clip — a video
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. date — the fruit
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — to cut
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rock — a stone

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