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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. spell — letters
  3. track — a path
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mug — a cup
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. track — a song
  17. spell — magic
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mug — a face
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wave — with your hand

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