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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. last — finally
  3. spell — magic
  4. shower — to wash
  5. band — a ring
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. band — a music group
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spell — letters
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. shower — rain
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spell — a short time
  19. last — to go on
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. last — final

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