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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. ball — a dance
  3. swing — to play on
  4. spring — of water
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spring — a coil
  12. snap — to click
  13. swing — music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hand — help
  18. wax — to grow
  19. ball — a great time
  20. swing — in golf
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. spring — the season

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