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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 120 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 · suit · bowl · fine · wind · current · wax · pitch

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — in cards
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. current — of water
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. current — happening now
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. current — electric
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. suit — clothes
  24. wind — to turn a key

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