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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. spell — letters
  4. stock — goods
  5. rash — hasty
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. staff — employees
  8. spell — magic
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rash — a series
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wax — to grow
  13. shower — rain
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stock — shares
  19. cue — a hint
  20. staff — employees
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cue — a signal
  23. snap — to click
  24. wax — in the ear

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