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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: dip · snap · net · wake · rock · bear · wax · mate

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bear — the animal
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rock — music
  10. mate — a friend
  11. net — in sport
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. mate — to breed
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mate — a partner

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