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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 120 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. dip — to sink
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. march — the month
  21. ball — a dance
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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