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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mug — a face
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mug — to rob
  11. row — to paddle
  12. prune — to trim
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. wax — to grow
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. last — finally
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. season — of the year
  24. row — a line

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