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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: fan · date · content · lie · ball · wax · snap · fall

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wax — to grow
  6. snap — to click
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ball — a dance
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. content — happy
  19. fall — the season
  20. ball — a great time
  21. fall — to drop
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. date — the fruit

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