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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: snap · cap · bound · wax · bat · hide · racket · spell

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cap — of ice
  7. snap — to click
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spell — letters
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bound — certain
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bat — the animal
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. hide — animal skin

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