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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
468
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 · bat · bear · tube · mine · lean · wax · mark

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mine — for digging
  15. tube — a container
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. lean — thin
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spell — letters

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