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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.

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: mark · clip · ball · snap · pound · rush · wax · mouse

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. ball — a dance
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rush — hurry
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. snap — to click

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