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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: roll · snap · date · mouse · wax · foot · cold · lash

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. foot — a measure
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. roll — a list
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cold — not warm
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. roll — a cake
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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