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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mug — to rob
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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