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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · snap · wake · wax · stock · wave · craft · date

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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. wave — a sudden rise
  3. craft — boats
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bore — to tire
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bore — to drill
  11. snap — to click
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stock — goods
  17. wax — to grow
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. stock — shares

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