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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. snap — to click
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. charge — a price
  7. pound — a weight
  8. clip — a video
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. stem — to come from
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. roll — a cake
  16. charge — in control
  17. roll — a list
  18. clip — to cut
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wax — to grow
  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