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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. snap — to click
  4. mine — for digging
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stock — shares
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pop — soda
  18. rock — music
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pop — music
  23. wax — to grow
  24. scale — in music

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