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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. spell — letters
  7. wind — moving air
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. row — a line
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. snap — to click
  19. row — to paddle
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. spell — magic
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wind — to turn a key

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