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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 116 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: bat · cell · rush · wake · fall · wax · drill · bay

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fall — the season
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rush — to hurry

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