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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. key — in music
  4. object — a thing
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wax — to grow
  7. key — the most important part
  8. object — an aim
  9. degree — from a university
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. chip — for betting
  12. plane — a tool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. root — of a plant
  15. chip — to eat
  16. degree — an amount
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. snap — to click
  20. root — of a word
  21. key — for a lock
  22. object — to protest
  23. degree — temperature
  24. root — the cause

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