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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bulb — for light
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. last — finally
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. last — to go on
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. last — final
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. plane — a tool

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