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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spell — magic
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. key — in music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. scale — in music
  11. spell — letters
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. key — the most important part
  14. can — to be able to
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. can — a tin
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. can — a tin
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bear — the animal
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rash — a series

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