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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. last — finally
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rock — music
  8. last — final
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wind — moving air
  15. last — to go on
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wind — moving air
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. roll — a list
  24. rock — a stone

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