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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mark — a trace
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. plane — a tool
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. band — a music group
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. spell — letters
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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