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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 120 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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. spell — magic
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spring — the season
  10. spell — letters
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mug — a face
  15. wake — a trail
  16. file — a tool
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spring — of water
  19. lie — to recline
  20. spring — a coil
  21. file — a document
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mug — a cup

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