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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. can — a tin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spell — a short time
  9. degree — from a university
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spell — letters
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wax — to grow
  22. can — a tin
  23. rule — a law
  24. wound — an injury

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