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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. charge — electricity
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fall — the season
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. charge — a price
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pit — a hole
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. charge — in control
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lie — an untruth

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