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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · rash · pitcher · cold · snap · fan · jam · wave

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rash — hasty
  18. snap — to click
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rash — a series
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. jam — a tight spot

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