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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wake — a trail
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rest — a break
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wax — to grow
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. snap — to click
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a leader

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