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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. kid — child
  3. snap — to click
  4. mate — a partner
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. staff — a stick
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wax — to grow
  10. staff — employees
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — to breed
  16. kid — to tease
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stand — to bear
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. spell — letters
  21. staff — employees
  22. spell — magic
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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