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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: hand · fall · wax · date · rush · bowl · snap · row

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. date — the fruit
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. snap — to click
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hand — help
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bowl — a football final

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