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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spell — letters
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. track — a song
  20. band — a ring
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wound — an injury

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