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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. snap — to click
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stem — to come from
  12. row — a line
  13. wax — to grow
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. net — in sport
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. row — to paddle
  18. net — for catching
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — soda
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — after costs
  24. wax — in the ear

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