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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bore — to tire
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. hand — help
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wax — to grow
  24. safe — out of danger

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