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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. squash — to crush
  4. spell — letters
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bank — for money
  10. spell — magic
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. spring — the season
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. squash — the sport
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bank — for money
  22. spring — of water
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bank — of a river

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