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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wax — to grow
  6. scale — in music
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. swing — to play on
  9. clip — for paper
  10. game — a match
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. scale — size or range
  13. craft — boats
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. craft — a skill
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. clip — to cut
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. clip — a video
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wax — for sculpting

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