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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 124 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pit — a hole
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. plane — a tool
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. chest — a box
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. spring — the season
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pit — in a race
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. wax — to grow
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wax — in the ear

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