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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wax — to grow
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rock — music
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. track — a song
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — magic
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pitcher — a jug

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