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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bear — the animal
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cap — a lid

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