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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — a hole
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bear — the animal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. spell — letters
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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