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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. field — farmland
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. field — a subject
  15. dip — to sink
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. field — for sport
  22. wax — to grow
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. race — a contest

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