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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. spell — magic
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. clip — a video
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. season — of the year
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. season — in sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rash — on the skin

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