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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 124 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. field — farmland
  4. mate — to breed
  5. spell — letters
  6. hand — in cards
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. club — for golf
  11. field — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spell — magic
  17. court — of a king
  18. hand — help
  19. mate — a partner
  20. club — a group
  21. mate — a friend
  22. court — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. wax — to grow

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