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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fall — the season
  7. current — happening now
  8. tube — a container
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spell — magic
  12. can — a tin
  13. root — of a word
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. spell — a short time
  16. can — a tin
  17. current — electric
  18. can — to be able to
  19. root — the cause
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spell — letters
  22. current — of water
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. root — of a plant

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