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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — to grow
  12. root — the cause
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. board — to get on
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rash — a series
  23. wind — moving air
  24. board — a committee

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