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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. key — for a lock
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rock — a stone
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rock — music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. key — the most important part
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wax — to grow
  21. key — in music
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. spell — magic
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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