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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. suit — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. suit — clothes
  10. snap — to click
  11. plane — a tool
  12. suit — to fit
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wax — to grow
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. scale — size or range
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. scale — in music

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