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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. spell — letters
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. root — of a word
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. root — the cause
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rock — music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. spell — a short time
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wax — to grow
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rest — a break
  22. spell — magic
  23. cap — a lid
  24. snap — to click

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