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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. spell — magic
  5. lean — to bend
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. clip — a video
  9. race — humankind
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. lean — thin
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. spell — a short time
  24. lean — to rest against

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