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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. march — the month
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. content — happy
  6. wax — to grow
  7. prune — to trim
  8. march — the month
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rock — music
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. prune — to trim
  19. content — the amount
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rock — a stone
  24. march — music

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