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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. last — final
  7. tear — to rip
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mate — a friend
  12. last — to go on
  13. season — in sport
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. season — of the year
  16. mate — to breed
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — finally
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. tear — from crying
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mate — a partner
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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