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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. snap — to click
  3. fall — the season
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. lie — to recline
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rash — a series
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rash — hasty
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bass — low music
  23. drill — a practice
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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