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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mug — a cup
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spring — the season
  13. rash — a series
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rash — hasty
  16. season — in sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. spring — a coil
  19. season — of the year
  20. spring — of water
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lean — to bend

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