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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cue — a signal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. season — in sport
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. clip — a video
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. lie — to recline
  18. clip — for paper
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cue — for pool
  23. season — of the year
  24. nail — for a hammer

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