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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. object — a thing
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. hand — in cards
  6. spring — of water
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. hand — help
  10. game — a match
  11. rest — what's left
  12. object — to protest
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rest — a break
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. object — an aim
  24. game — a kind of play

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