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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. shower — rain
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pit — in a race
  13. suit — to fit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mine — for digging
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. prune — to trim
  21. suit — clothes
  22. wax — to grow
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wax — in the ear

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