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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · wind · hand · ball · wax · firm · tear · game

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. tear — from crying
  5. firm — a company
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tear — to rip
  8. game — a match
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. firm — steady
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. ball — a dance
  13. hand — help
  14. firm — decided
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. ball — a great time

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