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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. spell — magic
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spell — a short time
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. present — the time now
  10. rest — a break
  11. spell — letters
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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