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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pop — soda
  5. spell — magic
  6. squash — to crush
  7. current — electric
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. current — of water
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pop — music
  12. lie — to recline
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. squash — the sport
  17. spell — letters
  18. pop — to visit
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. current — happening now
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mouse — the animal

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