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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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Word bank
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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. staff — employees
  5. rest — what's left
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. date — the fruit
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rest — what's left
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. spell — magic
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rest — a break
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. staff — employees
  24. bowl — a football final

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