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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.

Make a worksheet

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: stick · cell · lean · wax · spell · can · object · rash

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cell — a phone
  3. can — a tin
  4. spell — magic
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. object — an aim
  10. spell — letters
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lean — to bend
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. object — a thing
  17. lean — thin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cell — in a prison

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