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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. band — a music group
  6. lean — to bend
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. spell — letters
  11. sharp — clever
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stand — to bear
  21. scale — in music
  22. lean — thin
  23. spell — a short time
  24. band — a ring

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