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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. saw — the tool
  4. race — the arms race
  5. scale — in music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wax — to grow
  9. root — of a word
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. race — humankind
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. race — a contest
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. saw — the tool
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. perch — the fish
  21. snap — to click
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mine — for digging
  24. scale — for weighing

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