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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. spell — a short time
  3. court — for sport
  4. spell — magic
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. court — of law
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fork — in a road
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. last — final
  13. court — of a king
  14. spell — letters
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. last — finally
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. last — to go on
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lash — to lash out

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