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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: row · march · rush · snap · charge · wax · pop · wake

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. march — the month
  8. rush — hurry
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pop — to visit
  14. march — music
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pop — music
  17. row — a line
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. charge — a price
  20. snap — to click
  21. pop — soda
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wake — a trail
  24. march — the month

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