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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mug — a face
  5. board — a committee
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. chip — for betting
  12. swing — music
  13. board — to get on
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. content — the amount
  17. mug — a cup
  18. chip — to eat
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. swing — in golf
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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