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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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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: bay · bulb · wind · can · wax · snap · spell · lie

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spell — letters
  5. wind — moving air
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bulb — for light
  9. can — a tin
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. lie — to recline
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spell — magic
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wind — moving air

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