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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. snap — to click
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bass — low music
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bass — the fish
  20. tube — a container
  21. mate — a friend
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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