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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. spell — magic
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ground — crushed
  7. board — to get on
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rash — a series
  10. board — a committee
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rash — hasty
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chip — to eat
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chip — for betting
  19. spell — a short time
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. spell — letters
  22. ground — a position
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ground — the earth

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