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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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468
Word bank
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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cell — a phone
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. club — for golf
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cue — for pool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — a series
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rash — hasty
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. club — a group
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. club — for dancing
  20. snap — to click
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cue — a hint

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