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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. suit — clothes
  6. wax — to grow
  7. suit — in cards
  8. season — in sport
  9. mark — a trace
  10. suit — to fit
  11. stand — to bear
  12. mark — a grade
  13. spell — letters
  14. season — of the year
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wax — for sculpting

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