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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wake — a trail
  4. spring — of water
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. net — after costs
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. net — for catching
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. spring — a coil
  21. net — in sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spring — the season

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