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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. key — for a lock
  7. swing — to play on
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. swing — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. snap — to click
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wax — to grow
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wind — moving air
  20. key — the most important part
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. key — in music

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