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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bore — to drill
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — letters
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bore — to tire
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. date — the fruit
  18. snap — to click
  19. spell — magic
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mine — belonging to me

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