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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 116 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spell — a short time
  8. file — a line of people
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. file — a document
  12. swing — music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. squash — to crush
  15. file — a tool
  16. net — for catching
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. net — after costs
  19. spell — magic
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. net — in sport
  23. swing — in golf
  24. spell — letters

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