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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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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: lash · wind · firm · foot · wax · band

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. firm — a company
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. firm — steady
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. band — a music group
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. firm — decided
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. band — a ring
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body

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