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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: wave · cap · cold · rash · board · snap · prune · wax

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rash — a series
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. cap — a lid
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. rash — hasty
  11. snap — to click
  12. wax — to grow
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. board — a committee
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cold — an illness
  21. board — to get on
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wave — of the sea

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