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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bat — for baseball

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