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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ground — crushed
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. content — happy
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wake — a trail
  14. content — the amount
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. snap — to click
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. ground — a position
  24. lash — to lash out

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