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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. spell — magic
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. season — of the year
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — rain
  12. rush — hurry
  13. spell — letters
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. shower — to wash
  16. spell — a short time
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wind — moving air
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. season — in sport
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wax — to grow

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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