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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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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: snap · fall · leaves · wax · last · cell · calf · saw

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. last — finally
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to click
  6. last — to go on
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fall — the season
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wax — to grow
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cell — a phone
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. last — final
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wax — in the ear

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