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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. sharp — clever
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spring — a coil
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bear — the animal
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bear — the animal

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