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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — magic
  3. current — of water
  4. cap — of ice
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. current — happening now
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. current — electric
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spell — a short time
  24. tear — from crying

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