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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mug — a face
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pop — to visit
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pop — music
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wax — to grow
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pop — soda
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wax — for sculpting

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