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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spell — magic
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. season — of the year
  11. drill — army training
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. season — in sport
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spell — a short time
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wax — to grow

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