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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. season — of the year
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. season — in sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. land — a country
  14. bat — the animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. spell — letters
  22. land — ground
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. season — to add flavour

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