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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. field — for sport
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. field — a subject
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bear — the animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. chip — for betting
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. field — farmland

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