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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rash — a series
  5. spell — letters
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. can — a tin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. spell — a short time
  14. can — to be able to
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. race — humankind
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. spell — magic
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. race — a contest

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