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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 116 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: hide · row · chip · wake · straw · wave · wax · rash

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wake — a trail
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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