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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 120 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. race — a contest
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bass — low music
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mark — a grade
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. perch — the fish
  14. race — humankind
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wax — in the ear

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