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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. shower — to wash
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — a match
  12. spell — magic
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rash — a series
  19. wax — to grow
  20. shower — rain
  21. game — wild animals
  22. spell — a short time
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rash — hasty

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