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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lean — thin
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rash — hasty
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wax — to grow
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rash — a series

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