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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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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 · stand · cell · squash · snap · sharp · bay · club

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. club — for golf
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cell — in biology
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cell — a phone
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. squash — to crush
  20. club — a group
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. squash — the sport
  23. snap — to click
  24. sharp — exactly

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