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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · pound · wax · mug · snap · deal · ball · row

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. spell — a short time
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mug — a face
  8. snap — to click
  9. spell — magic
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wax — to grow
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mug — to rob
  20. row — a line
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pound — a weight
  24. ball — a dance

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