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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: shower · ruler · cell · mouse · snap · wax · fork · season

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. season — in sport
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cell — a phone
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. shower — rain
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cell — in biology
  20. season — of the year
  21. shower — to wash
  22. snap — to click
  23. fork — in a road
  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