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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. spell — magic
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. roll — a cake
  10. season — of the year
  11. rule — government
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. season — in sport
  14. content — the amount
  15. roll — a list
  16. date — the fruit
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. content — happy
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. tear — from crying
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wax — to grow

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