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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spell — magic
  4. field — farmland
  5. snap — to click
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. spell — letters
  10. wax — to grow
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. capital — a city
  15. present — a gift
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. field — a subject
  18. present — there
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. capital — money
  21. field — for sport
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. present — the time now
  24. fine — all right

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