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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spell — magic
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cell — in biology
  6. drill — army training
  7. cell — a phone
  8. spell — a short time
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spell — letters
  13. mug — to rob
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wax — to grow
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mug — a face
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. mug — a cup

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