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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hand — help
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. kid — child
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pound — a weight
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wax — to grow
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hand — part of the body

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