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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rock — music
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. net — in sport
  12. rush — hurry
  13. snap — to click
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bank — for money
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. wax — in the ear

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