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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bat — the animal
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wax — for sculpting

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