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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. spell — letters
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. court — for sport
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lean — thin
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. court — of law
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. lean — to bend
  20. spell — magic
  21. lie — to recline
  22. court — of a king
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wax — to grow

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