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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 120 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: ball · rush · wax · snap · kick · chip · tear · hide

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — hurry
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ball — a great time
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. kick — in football
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wax — to grow

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