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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: dip · lash · wake · snap · bass · drill · perch · wax

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bass — low music
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. snap — to click
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bass — the fish
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wax — to grow
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. drill — the tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — army training
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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