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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. spell — a short time
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spell — letters
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. spell — magic
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wax — to grow
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. roll — a cake
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. roll — a list
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. snap — to click
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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