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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. saw — the tool
  4. suit — in cards
  5. mug — a face
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mug — to rob
  8. suit — clothes
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. saw — the tool
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wake — a trail
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. pop — music
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wax — to grow
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. suit — to fit
  22. pop — soda
  23. spell — letters
  24. wake — before a funeral

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