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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bank — of a river
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. degree — temperature
  8. key — for a lock
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wake — a trail
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. spell — letters
  14. key — in music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bank — for money
  19. wax — to grow
  20. key — the most important part
  21. degree — from a university
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bank — for money
  24. hide — to keep secret

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