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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rash — a series
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. toast — bread
  19. spell — letters
  20. kick — in football
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. snap — to click
  24. wake — a trail

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