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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bound — tied together
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bear — the animal
  9. band — a ring
  10. kid — child
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. kid — to tease
  14. snap — to click
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bound — certain
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bear — the animal

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