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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lean — thin
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. spell — magic
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. spell — letters
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mark — a grade
  22. net — after costs
  23. mug — a face
  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