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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. shower — to wash
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. spell — letters
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. chair — a leader
  9. shower — rain
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wax — to grow
  15. season — of the year
  16. spell — magic
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. wake — a trail
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wax — for sculpting

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