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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. snap — to click
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. charge — electricity
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. kid — to tease
  15. charge — a price
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kid — child
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stem — to come from
  24. charge — in control

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