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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mark — a grade
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mark — a trace
  7. club — a group
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. march — the month
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. club — for golf
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. straw — a straw man

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