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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wax — to grow
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. court — of law
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spell — magic
  24. hide — to keep secret

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