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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · kid · cabinet · snap · fan · stock · fall · bulb

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wax — to grow
  7. snap — to click
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stock — shares
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fall — to drop
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stock — goods
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fall — the season
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stock — a soup base

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