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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. file — a document
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wax — to grow
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. staff — a stick
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bear — the animal
  23. file — a tool
  24. staff — employees

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