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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. land — a country
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ground — crushed
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. roll — a list
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ground — the earth
  9. firm — a company
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wax — to grow
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. roll — a cake
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. firm — steady
  16. land — ground
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. firm — decided
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. land — to come down
  23. ground — a position
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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