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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. spell — magic
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. spell — a short time
  7. perch — the fish
  8. season — in sport
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. face — to point toward
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — letters
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wound — an injury
  16. face — to confront
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — part of the head
  22. season — of the year
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. perch — for a bird

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