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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: club · bore · season · wax · cabinet · mate · deal · snap

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. deal — to handle
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. season — in sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — of the year
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. club — for dancing

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