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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — to grow
  5. squash — to crush
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ball — a dance
  12. spell — a short time
  13. ball — a great time
  14. squash — the sport
  15. snap — to click
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mug — to rob
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mug — a face
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mug — a cup

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