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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 120 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: cold · wave · row · content · rash · wax · rock · last

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. last — finally
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wax — to grow
  15. last — to go on
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rock — a stone
  18. last — final
  19. content — happy
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. content — the amount
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — 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