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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: last · pitcher · snap · roll · leaves · sharp · wax · mate

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. wax — to grow
  3. roll — a list
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. sharp — clever
  8. snap — to click
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. roll — a cake
  15. mate — a friend
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — final
  21. mate — a partner
  22. last — finally
  23. mate — to breed
  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