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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rash — hasty
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bat — the animal
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fork — in a road
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rash — a series
  21. snap — to click
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bowl — to roll

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