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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.

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: wax · leaves · content · cold · rash · track · lean · wave

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. content — happy
  6. rash — hasty
  7. content — the amount
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. track — a path
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. cold — not warm
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cold — an illness
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. track — a song
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lean — thin
  22. rash — a series
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. lean — to rest against

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