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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. craft — boats
  6. game — a match
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. game — wild animals
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spell — letters
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. craft — a skill
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bat — the animal

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