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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rash — a series
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pit — in a race
  7. snap — to click
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. season — of the year
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rash — hasty
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wax — to grow
  18. branch — a division
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. season — in sport
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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