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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. can — to be able to
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. can — a tin
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. land — ground
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wax — to grow
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. tear — to rip
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — a country
  24. hide — animal skin

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