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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.

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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bank — for money
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rash — a series
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. row — a line
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pop — to visit
  18. snap — to click
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wax — to grow
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. dip — to sink

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