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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mug — to rob
  8. spell — a short time
  9. season — in sport
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mug — a face
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. branch — a division
  23. season — of the year
  24. branch — of a tree

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