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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. spring — a coil
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. spring — of water
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. spring — the season
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. court — of law
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. drill — a practice
  11. court — for sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. court — of a king
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. drill — army training

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