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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bear — the animal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bore — to tire
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. club — for golf
  10. wound — an injury
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wound — an injury
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bear — the animal
  15. club — a group
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. mark — a trace
  19. toast — bread
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. club — for dancing

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