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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wax — to grow
  3. vault — a safe
  4. spell — letters
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mate — a friend
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. swing — to play on
  12. spell — magic
  13. mate — a partner
  14. swing — music
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. snap — to click
  18. swing — in golf
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mate — to breed

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