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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. spell — a short time
  7. kid — child
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. can — to be able to
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. can — a tin
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. wax — to grow
  18. can — a tin
  19. spell — magic
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spell — letters
  23. chip — for betting
  24. leaves — lets stay

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