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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. object — to protest
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. game — a match
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. wax — to grow
  10. track — a path
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. track — a song
  13. object — an aim
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. track — to keep track
  18. lean — thin
  19. rash — a series
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. game — wild animals
  24. kick — in football

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