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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: snap · net · wax · fall · fan · wave · rash · rest

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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. snap — to click
  3. rest — what's left
  4. net — after costs
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. net — for catching
  11. fall — the season
  12. rest — a break
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rash — hasty
  15. net — in sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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