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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a music group
  6. swing — in golf
  7. root — of a word
  8. swing — music
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. root — the cause
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. swing — to play on
  17. band — a ring
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. root — of a plant

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