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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. craft — boats
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. shower — rain
  7. fall — the season
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fall — to drop
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. shower — to wash
  12. prune — to trim
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hand — help
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wax — to grow
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. dip — to sink
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fall — to drop
  24. dip — a sauce

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