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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. object — an aim
  3. last — final
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mug — a cup
  8. lean — thin
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. object — a thing
  11. mug — a face
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. object — to protest
  16. last — finally
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. last — to go on
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. lean — to rest against

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