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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mark — a trace
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. shower — rain
  10. file — a document
  11. last — to go on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. last — finally
  15. shower — to wash
  16. prune — to trim
  17. file — a tool
  18. snap — to click
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. last — final
  22. file — a line of people
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wax — in the ear

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