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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. kid — child
  3. can — to be able to
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pop — music
  6. foot — a measure
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. can — a tin
  9. pop — soda
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rash — a series
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. can — a tin
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rash — on the skin

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