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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: rush · mine · ball · wax · craft · row · spell · wake

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. spell — magic
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wake — a trail
  14. craft — boats
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. row — a line
  23. craft — a skill
  24. row — a quarrel

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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