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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. game — wild animals
  3. root — of a word
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wax — to grow
  7. spell — a short time
  8. fall — the season
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — magic
  14. saw — the tool
  15. game — a match
  16. mug — to rob
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. spell — letters
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fall — to drop
  23. root — the cause
  24. mug — a face

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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