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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. file — a tool
  3. lean — thin
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. snap — to click
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. spell — magic
  10. wax — to grow
  11. file — a line of people
  12. toast — bread
  13. lean — to bend
  14. spell — letters
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. file — a document
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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