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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  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. spell — magic
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wax — to grow
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. prune — to trim
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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