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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pass — a permit
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wax — to grow
  9. dip — to sink
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. board — to get on
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. board — a committee
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wax — for sculpting

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