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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: rush · wax · wake · chip · net · pop · perch · snap

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. net — in sport
  4. pop — music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wax — to grow
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wake — a trail
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. snap — to click
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. net — after costs
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. net — for catching
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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