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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. object — a thing
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. can — a tin
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. object — to protest
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. can — a tin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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