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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. current — of water
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bark — to shout
  7. current — happening now
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. spell — letters
  17. cap — a hat
  18. current — electric
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cap — of ice
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. spell — magic

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