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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. spell — magic
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. spell — a short time
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wound — an injury
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spell — letters
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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