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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. key — in music
  7. field — for sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. field — farmland
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. root — of a word
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. key — the most important part
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. root — the cause
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. field — a subject
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. root — of a plant
  24. hide — to keep secret

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