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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wax — to grow
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. spell — magic
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. spell — letters
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bear — the animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rock — music
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. snap — to click
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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