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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 116 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: lash · sharp · current · cell · rash · snap · net · wax

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. sharp — clever
  4. current — happening now
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. wax — to grow
  8. current — electric
  9. rash — a series
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cell — in biology
  17. snap — to click
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. current — of water
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. net — for catching

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