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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. spell — magic
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. chest — a box
  6. spell — letters
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cap — a lid
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. chest — of your body
  14. plane — a tool
  15. kick — in football
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cap — of ice
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cap — a hat
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — to shout

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