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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wax — to grow
  3. suit — to fit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. band — a music group
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. spell — magic
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chest — a box
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — in cards
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fall — the season
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. band — a ring
  21. spell — letters
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spell — a short time

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