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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. snap — to click
  3. swing — to play on
  4. saw — the tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rush — hurry
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. can — a tin
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ground — crushed
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. can — to be able to
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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