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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rock — music
  5. rest — a break
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rock — a stone
  17. court — of law
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. press — newspapers

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