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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wax — to grow
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. snap — to click
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cue — for pool
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cue — a hint
  10. last — final
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. last — to go on
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. last — finally
  20. cue — a signal
  21. press — to push
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. deal — to handle
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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