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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pop — soda
  8. wound — an injury
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pop — music
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pop — to visit
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bay — a horse colour

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