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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spell — letters
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spell — a short time
  5. band — a music group
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rest — a break
  8. wax — to grow
  9. firm — steady
  10. hand — help
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. band — a ring
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. firm — a company
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spell — magic
  21. shower — rain
  22. firm — decided
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wax — for sculpting

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