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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rest — a break
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. net — in sport
  6. snap — to click
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mark — a grade
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rest — what's left

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