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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cue — for pool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cap — a hat
  15. spell — a short time
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rest — a break
  18. cue — a hint
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cap — a lid
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. spell — magic

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