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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. object — to protest
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mug — a face
  13. root — of a plant
  14. object — a thing
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. object — an aim
  22. rest — a break
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mug — to rob

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