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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. march — the month
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pop — soda
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — a city
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. march — music
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. capital — money
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pop — to visit
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. march — the month
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pop — music
  24. spell — letters

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