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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: bowl · wax · current · field · rule · fall · snap · pit

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rule — government
  4. field — for sport
  5. current — happening now
  6. rule — a law
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. field — a subject
  9. fall — the season
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. field — farmland
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bowl — a football final

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