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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 · mug · snap · row · saw · firm · hand · land

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mug — to rob
  8. firm — a company
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. land — ground
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. land — to come down
  17. hand — in cards
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. row — a line
  20. firm — steady
  21. hand — help
  22. land — a country
  23. snap — to click
  24. firm — decided

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