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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. snap — to click
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pound — a weight
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fine — all right
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. content — the amount
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. content — happy

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