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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. swing — music
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. prune — to trim
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. swing — in golf
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. kid — child
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. kid — to tease
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. prune — to trim

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