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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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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: wax · tear · toast · row · spell · swing · lie · racket

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. swing — music
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. swing — to play on
  8. lie — to recline
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. swing — in golf
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. row — a line
  15. spell — magic
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. row — to paddle
  20. spell — a short time
  21. toast — bread
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. racket — a loud noise

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