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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. firm — a company
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. firm — steady
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cap — a hat
  20. firm — decided
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lie — to recline
  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