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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: bass · toast · straw · fork · snap · press · wax · spell

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. press — to push
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. spell — letters
  11. bass — low music
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bass — the fish
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. toast — bread
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. press — newspapers
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. press — a publisher
  23. snap — to click
  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