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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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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: date · wax · rush · last · snap · chip · deal · pound

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. last — final
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. date — the fruit
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. last — finally
  13. deal — to handle
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chip — to eat
  19. snap — to click
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. chip — for betting
  22. last — to go on
  23. rush — hurry
  24. chip — in a computer

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