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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. spring — a coil
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. toast — bread
  9. spring — of water
  10. pop — music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. snap — to click
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pop — to visit
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pop — soda
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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