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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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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — to grow
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. spell — magic
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. season — in sport
  15. tube — a container
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spell — letters
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tube — the underground
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spell — a short time

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