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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. charge — a price
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. can — a tin
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. snap — to click
  20. charge — in control
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. stand — to bear
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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