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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · mark · rule · net · object · snap · clip · fan

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mark — a trace
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. clip — for paper
  10. net — after costs
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. net — in sport
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. object — to protest
  15. clip — a video
  16. net — for catching
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wax — to grow
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rule — a law

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