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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rest — a break
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. dip — to sink
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mate — to breed

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