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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rest — a break
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. mug — a cup
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wax — to grow
  15. snap — to click
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pass — a permit
  18. mug — to rob
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. band — a music group
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mug — a face

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