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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. net — for catching
  5. wake — a trail
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. net — after costs
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. net — in sport
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wake — before a funeral

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