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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. staff — employees
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. staff — a stick
  13. prune — to trim
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mug — to rob
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. nail — for a hammer

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