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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. court — for sport
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. staff — employees
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. court — of law
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wax — to grow
  23. court — of a king
  24. hand — help

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