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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. current — happening now
  6. mark — a grade
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wax — to grow
  13. current — of water
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. current — electric
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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