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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. spell — magic
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rest — a break
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rest — what's left
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. spring — the season
  19. march — music
  20. spell — letters
  21. march — the month
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. pass — a permit

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