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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. drill — a practice
  3. spell — letters
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — magic
  7. field — for sport
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. field — a subject
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. field — farmland
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. drill — army training
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. row — a line
  22. spell — a short time
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bear — the animal

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