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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spell — letters
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. season — of the year
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. pit — a hole
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pit — in a race
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. last — finally
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. board — to get on
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. season — in sport
  23. board — a committee
  24. wax — in the ear

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