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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pass — a permit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bass — low music
  12. fall — the season
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. spell — letters
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fall — to drop

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