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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 116 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 help me carry this box?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. spring — of water
  3. row — a line
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spring — the season
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — to grow
  11. can — a tin
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wake — a trail
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. can — a tin
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rest — a break

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