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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. sharp — clever
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spell — letters
  8. deal — to handle
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. field — a subject
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spell — magic
  17. squash — to crush
  18. field — for sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. field — farmland
  21. wind — moving air
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. deal — an agreement

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