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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: wax · wake · date · sharp · rush · object · ground · straw

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. ground — crushed
  3. object — an aim
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ground — the earth
  7. date — the fruit
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. object — a thing
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wake — a trail
  18. object — to protest
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. ground — a position
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rush — to hurry

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