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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wax — to grow
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bank — for money
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. shower — rain
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bank — of a river
  21. perch — the fish
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. snap — to click

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