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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: clip · wave · lash · chip · rash · wax · wake · foot

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rash — hasty
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. clip — for paper
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wake — a trail
  19. clip — a video
  20. chip — to eat
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rash — a series
  24. wake — before a funeral

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