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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. shower — to wash
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. last — final
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rash — hasty
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. wake — a trail
  13. shower — rain
  14. snap — to click
  15. last — finally
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. last — to go on
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rash — a series

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