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

Word bank: rock · dip · lie · rest · cold · mug · bay · wax

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rock — a stone
  3. cold — not warm
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mug — a face
  12. lie — to recline
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rock — music
  18. mug — a cup
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rest — a break
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cold — the Cold War

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