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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · snap · clip · wax · pop · bore · prune · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. snap — to click
  6. rush — hurry
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. prune — to trim
  9. clip — a video
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pop — soda
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pop — music
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pop — to visit
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bore — to drill

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