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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stem — to come from
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. game — a match
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. cap — a hat
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wax — to grow
  24. deal — to handle

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