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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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Word bank
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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: snap · wax · bound · cell · tube · mark · root · wake

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. root — the cause
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bound — certain
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bound — obliged
  12. root — of a plant
  13. tube — a container
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wake — a trail
  18. root — of a word
  19. bound — tied together
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cell — in a prison

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