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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: pitcher · spell · sharp · wax · lie · season · stand · file

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. spell — letters
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. file — a tool
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spell — a short time
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. season — of the year
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wax — to grow
  20. season — in sport
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. file — a document
  23. sharp — clever
  24. spell — magic

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