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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. track — a song
  5. spell — magic
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wax — to grow
  8. race — humankind
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. scale — in music
  11. bore — to drill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. race — the arms race
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. race — a contest
  16. toast — bread
  17. bore — to tire
  18. track — a path
  19. spell — a short time
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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