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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.

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: object · bat · rash · spell · row · court · temple · wax

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. object — a thing
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spell — magic
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rash — a series
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. court — for sport
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wax — to grow
  14. court — of law
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rash — hasty
  18. spell — a short time
  19. object — to protest
  20. court — of a king
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. object — an aim
  24. row — a quarrel

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