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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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Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. spell — magic
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. track — a song
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. track — a path
  19. stand — to bear
  20. craft — boats
  21. bass — low music
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stand — for spectators

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