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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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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. spell — magic
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bass — low music
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wax — to grow
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. nail — for a hammer

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