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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. march — the month
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mate — a partner
  9. stock — shares
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bear — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stock — goods
  19. march — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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