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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pop — to visit
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. hand — help
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pop — soda
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fall — to drop
  13. current — happening now
  14. fall — the season
  15. kick — in football
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pop — music
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. current — electric
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. current — of water

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