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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spell — magic
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mine — for digging
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tube — the underground
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tube — a container
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fine — all right
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. spell — a short time
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wax — in the ear

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