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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 120 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: clip · cabinet · pitcher · mug · can · snap · wax · fall

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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. wax — to grow
  3. fall — to drop
  4. clip — a video
  5. mug — a cup
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. fall — to drop
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. can — to be able to
  13. fall — the season
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mug — to rob
  18. snap — to click
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. can — a tin
  21. mug — a face
  22. can — a tin
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. clip — for paper

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