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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wax — to grow
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bass — low music
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. tube — the underground
  15. staff — a stick
  16. race — humankind
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. race — a contest
  24. tube — a container

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