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

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — a short time
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. spell — letters
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tube — the underground
  8. spell — magic
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. dip — to sink
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. tube — a container

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