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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wax — to grow
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the fish
  7. kid — to tease
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kid — child
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. hand — help

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