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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 124 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. craft — boats
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spell — letters
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. present — the time now
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. spell — a short time
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. craft — a skill
  17. present — a gift
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. present — there
  21. shower — rain
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. shower — to wash
  24. spell — magic

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