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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stock — shares
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stock — goods
  11. spell — magic
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. net — for catching
  15. kid — to tease
  16. net — in sport
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lie — to recline
  19. spell — a short time
  20. net — after costs
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stock — a soup base

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