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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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. bear — the animal
  3. pass — a permit
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. kid — child
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. snap — to click
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. chair — a leader

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