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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. swing — music
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mug — a face
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. snap — to click
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mug — a cup
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pop — soda
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wax — to grow

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