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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pound — a weight
  6. kid — to tease
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. row — a line
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. hand — help
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. can — a tin
  18. row — to paddle
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pitch — completely
  22. kid — child
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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