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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wax — to grow
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cue — a signal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — to protest
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. arm — part of the body

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