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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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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: lash · last · rush · object · bound · wound · wax · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. object — to protest
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. object — a thing
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. last — final
  16. rush — hurry
  17. last — to go on
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. last — finally
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bound — certain
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. object — an aim

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