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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — in cards
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. dip — to sink
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. board — a committee
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. board — to get on
  21. snap — to click
  22. wax — to grow
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wax — for sculpting

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