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

Word bank: toast · charge · snap · lean · date · wave · fall · bowl

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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. snap — to click
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fall — the season
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. charge — in control
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. charge — a price
  13. date — the fruit
  14. toast — bread
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lean — thin
  24. wave — with your hand

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