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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. press — to push
  3. rest — a break
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cell — in biology
  6. snap — to click
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spell — magic
  11. suit — clothes
  12. press — a publisher
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fall — the season
  15. suit — to fit
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wax — to grow
  21. suit — in cards
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. spell — letters
  24. fall — to drop

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