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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 the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. band — a music group
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. snap — to click
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. band — a ring
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. charge — in control
  11. wound — an injury
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. prune — to trim
  18. charge — a price
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. sharp — clever
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. band — a rubber band

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