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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. spell — letters
  6. pop — music
  7. spell — magic
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pop — soda
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chair — a leader
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — to grow
  24. fan — to cool the air

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