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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: mug · kid · prune · wax · kick · bay · season · bat

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. kid — child
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bat — the animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. kick — in football
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. mug — to rob
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. season — in sport
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mug — a face

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