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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. court — of a king
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. kid — child
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. court — for sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. court — of law
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bulb — for light
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wake — a trail

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