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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spell — magic
  7. clip — for paper
  8. dip — to sink
  9. clip — a video
  10. bat — the animal
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. clip — to cut
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wax — to grow
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wax — in the ear
  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