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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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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. snap — to click
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mate — to breed
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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