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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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 — letters
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pop — soda
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wax — to grow
  6. content — happy
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. sharp — clever
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pop — music
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. spell — magic
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pop — to visit
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. content — the amount
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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