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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bark — to shout
  13. snap — to click
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wax — to grow
  20. band — a ring
  21. season — in sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. band — a music group

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