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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 · wax · arm · snap · leaves · straw · racket · mug

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — to grow
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mug — a face
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. mug — to rob
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mug — a cup
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. snap — to click
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. toast — bread
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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