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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.

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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: wave · calf · snap · bay · swing · wax · sharp · deal

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wax — to grow
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. deal — to handle
  8. snap — to click
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. swing — in golf
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. swing — music

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