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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. wax — to grow
  3. club — for golf
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. club — a group
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. file — a document
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. file — a line of people
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mark — a trace
  19. club — for dancing
  20. file — a tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wave — of the sea
  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