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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 116 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. wax — to grow
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. court — of a king
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bore — to drill
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. dip — to sink
  11. can — a tin
  12. court — for sport
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. court — of law
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bore — to tire
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wax — in the ear
  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