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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mark — a grade
  7. last — finally
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. last — to go on
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. last — final
  18. tear — from crying
  19. field — a subject
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. tear — to rip
  22. field — for sport
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. field — farmland

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