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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 116 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. court — of law
  4. suit — clothes
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. court — of a king
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. tear — to rip
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. bass — low music
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rush — hurry
  19. club — for dancing
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. court — for sport

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