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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. season — of the year
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bound — tied together
  5. spell — magic
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spell — letters
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. perch — the fish
  19. file — a document
  20. wax — to grow
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. season — in sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. file — a tool

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