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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. race — the arms race
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wax — to grow
  12. drill — army training
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rock — music
  16. race — a contest
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. drill — the tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. prune — to trim
  23. race — humankind
  24. cap — of ice

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