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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. wax — to grow
  3. shower — rain
  4. spell — magic
  5. hand — help
  6. shower — to wash
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. track — a path
  13. hand — in cards
  14. lean — to bend
  15. track — a song
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. track — to keep track
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lean — thin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. spell — letters
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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