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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wax — to grow
  6. net — after costs
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spell — magic
  13. net — in sport
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. net — for catching
  21. spell — letters
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. spell — a short time

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