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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · snap · wound · row · fine · wave · staff · sharp

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. staff — employees
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wound — an injury
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. row — to paddle
  12. snap — to click
  13. row — a line
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. staff — employees
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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