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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pound — a weight
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. hand — help
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cap — of ice
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rush — hurry
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wax — to grow
  21. scale — in music
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rush — a thrill

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