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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: snap · season · court · roll · saw · wax · wake · bore

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bore — to tire
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. roll — a list
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. season — of the year
  8. wax — to grow
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. court — of a king
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. roll — a cake
  16. saw — the tool
  17. court — of law
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wake — a trail
  20. court — for sport
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. snap — to click
  24. season — to add flavour

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