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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spell — a short time
  11. fall — the season
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cue — a signal
  14. hand — help
  15. spell — letters
  16. cue — for pool
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rash — a series

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