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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: foot · rash · staff · wave · tube · fall · wax · sharp

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rash — a series
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. staff — employees
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rash — hasty
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. staff — employees
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. fall — to drop
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. staff — a stick
  22. foot — a measure
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. tube — the underground

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