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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a line
  4. wax — to grow
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spell — letters
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. spell — magic
  12. clip — a video
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. staff — employees
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. staff — a stick
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. staff — employees
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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