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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rock — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rock — a stone
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. snap — to click
  20. stand — to bear
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. perch — the fish
  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