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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. band — a ring
  9. snap — to click
  10. band — a music group
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. net — for catching
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. key — in music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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