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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. shower — rain
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pass — a permit
  6. shower — to wash
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. spell — a short time
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. kick — in football
  18. spell — magic
  19. spring — the season
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wax — to grow
  24. spell — letters

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