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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: wax · tube · tear · snap · mouse · toast · file · rash

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. wax — to grow
  6. snap — to click
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. toast — bread
  10. tear — to rip
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rash — a series
  14. file — a line of people
  15. tear — from crying
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. file — a tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rash — hasty
  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