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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. spell — magic
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bass — the fish
  7. prune — to trim
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. shower — rain
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bass — low music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spell — letters
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chip — for betting
  21. spell — a short time
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. chip — in a computer

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