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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. spring — the season
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. staff — employees
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. spring — a coil
  9. field — a subject
  10. spell — a short time
  11. staff — employees
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. staff — a stick
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bear — the animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. spring — of water

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