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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fine — all right
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. snap — to click
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. current — of water
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. current — happening now
  16. wound — an injury
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. current — electric
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fine — high quality

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