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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rash — hasty
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wax — to grow
  5. game — a match
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. can — a tin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. can — a tin
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — a series
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. can — to be able to

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