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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cap — a lid
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. content — happy
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — of ice
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. content — the amount
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. march — the month
  21. lie — to recline
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. patient — a sick person

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