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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · snap · wax · bore · field · pass · hand · mouse

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pass — a permit
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wax — to grow
  5. field — for sport
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. field — a subject
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. snap — to click
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. hand — help
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. field — farmland
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bore — to drill
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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