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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bear — the animal
  9. object — a thing
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. craft — boats
  12. shower — to wash
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wax — to grow
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bear — the animal
  20. dip — to sink
  21. spell — magic
  22. craft — a skill
  23. shower — rain
  24. wax — for sculpting

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