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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wax — to grow
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. snap — to click
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. track — a path
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. track — to keep track
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. track — a song
  24. chest — of your body

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