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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 116 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pitch — completely
  4. shower — rain
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. spring — a coil
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pass — a permit
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. spell — a short time
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lean — thin
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. spring — of water
  24. wax — to grow

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