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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.

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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. snap — to click
  3. fall — the season
  4. last — finally
  5. wax — to grow
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. last — final
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mug — to rob
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rash — a series
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mug — a face
  24. rash — hasty

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