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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 116 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
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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: last · face · content · snap · rock · wax · saw · mouse

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. face — to confront
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rock — music
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wax — to grow
  18. content — happy
  19. snap — to click
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. last — finally
  22. rock — a stone
  23. content — the amount
  24. saw — the tool

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