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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. mug — a face
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. can — a tin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. degree — temperature
  22. can — a tin
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mug — a cup

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