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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. spell — magic
  6. suit — in cards
  7. roll — a cake
  8. spell — a short time
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. suit — to fit
  12. file — a document
  13. prune — to trim
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. suit — clothes
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. file — a tool
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. roll — a list

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