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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. spell — letters
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. spell — magic
  6. land — ground
  7. lean — thin
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. land — a country
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wax — to grow
  20. land — to come down
  21. rock — a stone
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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