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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 · pitch · lash · present · wax · pass · ruler · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. present — the time now
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wax — to grow
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pass — a permit
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. present — there
  14. snap — to click
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pitch — completely
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. shower — rain
  23. present — a gift
  24. pass — to spend time

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