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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. file — a line of people
  6. land — to come down
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. race — a contest
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bear — the animal
  12. file — a tool
  13. land — ground
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. file — a document
  17. race — the arms race
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — size or range
  21. race — humankind
  22. land — a country
  23. wax — to grow
  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