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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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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: wound · mine · bay · stick · march · racket · wax · rest

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rest — a break
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. march — the month
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. march — music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. march — the month
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rest — what's left

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