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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bear — the animal
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. bulb — for light
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. branch — a division
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wax — to grow
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. staff — employees
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bear — to put up with

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