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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cell — in biology
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. lie — to recline
  7. net — for catching
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bore — to drill
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. spell — magic
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. spell — letters

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