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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cold — not warm
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bank — for money
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bank — of a river
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bank — for money
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. vault — a safe
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cold — an illness

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