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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fine — all right
  4. rock — music
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ball — a dance
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cold — an illness
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tear — to rip
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. fine — a penalty
  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