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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. snap — to click
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cue — for pool
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chest — a box
  8. net — for catching
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wax — to grow
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. board — to get on
  20. chest — of your body
  21. prune — to trim
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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