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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. staff — employees
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. spring — of water
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spring — a coil
  13. snap — to click
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cell — in biology
  17. staff — employees
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cell — a phone
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. staff — a stick
  24. spring — the season

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