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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. rest — what's left
  3. roll — a cake
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rest — a break
  7. snap — to click
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. suit — clothes
  14. mark — a trace
  15. suit — to fit
  16. wax — to grow
  17. roll — a list
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rest — what's left
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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