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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. face — to confront
  10. fine — all right
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spell — magic
  14. wax — to grow
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. spell — letters
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bowl — a football final

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