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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. firm — a company
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wax — to grow
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wound — an injury
  7. shower — rain
  8. firm — steady
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wound — an injury
  11. key — the most important part
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. snap — to click
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. shower — to wash
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. firm — decided
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wax — for sculpting

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