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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wound — an injury
  12. charge — a price
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. charge — electricity
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. charge — in control
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wound — an injury
  21. current — electric
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to click
  24. mouse — the animal

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