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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 120 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lie — to recline
  4. spell — letters
  5. bound — certain
  6. ball — a great time
  7. spell — a short time
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wax — to grow
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. snap — to click
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bound — obliged
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. spell — magic
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. lie — an untruth

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