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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. wax — to grow
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fine — all right
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. file — a document
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. file — a line of people
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. band — a ring
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. file — a tool
  23. band — a music group
  24. wax — for sculpting

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