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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. spell — magic
  3. rash — a series
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cell — a phone
  6. object — to protest
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wax — to grow
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. object — a thing
  13. spell — a short time
  14. staff — employees
  15. bore — to tire
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rash — hasty
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — employees
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. object — an aim
  23. bore — to drill
  24. spell — letters

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