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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. spell — magic
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. spell — letters
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fork — in a road
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. shower — rain
  21. scale — in music
  22. spell — a short time
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. fork — a garden tool

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