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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. snap — to click
  6. fall — the season
  7. bore — to drill
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. swing — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. swing — in golf
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mine — for digging
  20. plane — a tool
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mine — belonging to me

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