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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rash — hasty
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cell — a phone
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wax — to grow

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