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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: lash · game · mug · branch · wax · snap · fall · toast

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mug — a face
  4. branch — a division
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mug — to rob
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. fall — to drop
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. toast — bread
  15. mug — a cup
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. snap — to click
  18. wax — to grow
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. fall — the season
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. game — a match

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