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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. spell — magic
  4. suit — clothes
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. suit — to fit
  7. spell — letters
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lean — thin
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mine — for digging
  12. lean — to bend
  13. spell — a short time
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wax — to grow
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. suit — in cards
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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