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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — an aim
  4. snap — to click
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. spell — letters
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wax — to grow
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. spell — magic
  17. toast — bread
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a document
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. file — a tool
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wave — of the sea

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