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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 120 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. squash — to crush
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wax — to grow
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. scale — in music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. scale — size or range
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. face — to point toward
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bear — the animal
  24. arm — a part of something

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