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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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468
Word bank
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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a tool
  4. kid — child
  5. snap — to click
  6. wax — to grow
  7. file — a document
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. squash — the sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. kid — to tease
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. key — the most important part
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. file — a line of people
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — 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